Reconcile › P. Parker [2]

019. a double date

› CHAPTER NINETEEN ‹

Ever since releasing all his troubles out to Trystan, Raleigh had begun to feel a shift in his day-to-day life. He hadn't woken up in a night terror once, and his nightmares were becoming few and in between. Of course, it had only been a week, but he started to think he had a real shot at properly healing now that he accepted the needed support from his family and friends. These people understood him better than he did most days, and they always knew what to say to him.

"Is it bad... I mean, I don't know, am I wrong to miss Loki?" Raleigh asked, his eyes stinging with tears. The words left him before he really thought through them and his eyes widen at them. Ever since returning to Earth, he barely spoke about Loki. He thought it was because there wasn't much there for him to talk about, but now that the mention of missing Loki was in the air, he realized it was because there was a part of him that grieved heavily for the loss of the Asgardian Prince. "I—"

"The man was your biological father, Raleigh. You're not wrong to miss him. Thor told me and you what Loki did, okay? He sacrificed his life for you. He may have done wrong things in his life, some of it not being his fault, but he did the right thing by saving yours. Hell, I'm thankful for him. You have every right to grieve. Thor did. No one can take that away from you."

Obviously, he still had a long way to go, but he hoped if things continued the way they were, that he could learn to overcome his struggles. Maybe the memories and trauma would stay with him forever, but one day, hopefully, those things wouldn't dictate his life. And thus far, he seemed to be getting a hold of how to balance the two of them.

Now, if only Raleigh could find a way to shake off Trystan's unnecessary concerns about his and Peter's relationship.

Over the last five days, the blond had been catering to Raleigh's injuries, but now that most of the injuries were mostly healed and Raleigh was able to leave the house without any lingering stares on the disgusting bruising on his face, Trystan had turned his attention from that and onto the fact that Raleigh was going on his first-ever date. A double date, really, though in some way's it just felt like a friendly hangout with MJ and Jaron.

"Peter isn't allowed to come through your window anymore. We have a front door for a reason." Trystan went on, waving his hands and directing Raleigh's attention to the front door. Raleigh inwardly cringed, hiding his tomato face behind his hands and slinking further down into the loveseat. "And while we're talking about it—"

His voice muffled by his hands, Raleigh cut Trystan off, wanting nothing more than silence from Trystan's end. "You were never like this when I took MJ to that dance."

"MJ never came around the house like Peter does. I just want you to be safe, and you're sixteen so—"

"O-Oh, my God, okay! Nope!" Raleigh shot to his feet, turning his back on his guardian, his whole body now heating up. "I'm—I'm leaving. I have somewhere I need to be, and that somewhere is not here. We can continue this conversation... never again!"